Witty gave a soft whistle leaning against his locker. "She is something else ain't she? I can't believe she is going to rule our whole kingdom. Can you believe it? Under her rule we are doomed I tell you, doomed."

Sidney fell back onto her locker. "And to think my sister thought she was a wonderful person. She's not even the slightest thing close to a nice person." She shook her head and placed her hand on her forehead.

Witty turned his head and furrowed his brows. "No, she's not. She's only sweet and nice when on camera and to people who she needs to see her that way. Otherwise, she's a brat, and I'm putting that nicely." He explained, shaking his head.

Sidney wondered how he could have known that. "How do you know? Have you met her before?" She inquired, genuinely curious.

Witty sighed softly, pushing up his glasses yet again. "Let's just say, a story for another time." He replied and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm just glad I have another fellow Senoian here, and if we do manage to graduate."

"We can only hope and try our best." Sidney paused, rubbing her arm with her hand. "I can't believe only ten percent of scholarship winners have made it to graduation."

Witty looked down at his sneakers and pushed up his glasses. "It is a bit discouraging to think about. I just hope we can bring up the percentage and show them we won't back down! We are just as capable as them." He clenched his fist and spoke with determination.

"Speak for yourself," Sidney said, pointing her finger at him. "I know nothing about any of this and it's easy to say you won't until you face down what we'll have to deal with." She mumbled, discouraged. 

Witty rubbed the back of his neck and hummed. "Until that time comes, we shouldn't dwell on it. One step at a time." He encouraged, pushing up his glasses. "I think we should get settled into our rooms before our roomies join us." He suggested pulling up the handle of his suitcase and setting his duffle bag on top.

Sidney was curious to know who her roommates were. She figured it'd be the other scholarship winners. "Uh, okay, but um, where is the dormitory?" She asked, pushing herself off her locker.

Witty gave her a two-finger salute as he walked away from the lockers. "I'll show you to your room. Just follow me." He smiled and turned around, walking down the hall towards the dormitory.

Sidney departed from Witty and went towards the ladies dorms and picked up her room key from the Dean.

She walked up the stairs and to the door which she opened peeking in as her eyes growing wide. The room had fancy clear Victorian-style doors that opened to the balcony. The floors were also marble with shag silver rugs.

She flopped on her fluffy silver comforter that was in her bed. "Oh wow," She gasped in awestruck wonder. "This bed is ten times more comfortable than mine." She rolled on her stomach and buried her face into the pillow after kicking off her shoes. 

She knew her sister would love to be here and see how this looks. "Where is my camera," She opened up her back rummaging through her duffle back.

She smiled and took out her camera, taking a few pictures of the room and also the view she had from the inside and outside. 

She leaned against the railing of her balcony, seeing the ocean peaking between the two mountains. "This view -" She marveled at the sight before her.

She sighed, turning around and walking back inside. Walking over to her nightstand she opened the drawer and placed her camera inside before shutting it.

She paused and smiled softly at the thought of her notebook filled to the brim with everything in this place. "Oh Missy, you have way too much time on your hands." She frowned and sat down on her bed. "This should be you here, not me. I know nothing about this while you know so much."

She flopped back on her bed, curling up under it and sighing softly. 'This room is like heaven.' She thought as heard was the door open and voices chatting away.

As the door opened as Yasmin Sersanto pushed her black hair to her back as her dark brown gazed around the room as set her bags down on the ground. "This place is huge!" She exclaimed in a South African-style accent as she pivoted around marveling at the vast, cozy-looking room.

Seventeen-year-old Amelia Costly jumped up and down making her strawberry blonde pigtails bounce up and down. Her icy blue eyes looked wide and big behind white owl-like glasses as she flopped onto the bed. "This is amazing!" She exclaimed in her bright and cheery Scottish-style accent.

Sidney sighed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.  "Impressive huh?" She inquired, stretching her arms over her head and legs out in front of her. 

Amelia's eyes glimmered brightly as she rolled off the bed and onto her feet, spinning around. "Impressive? It's beyond impressive! Oh, oh! I wonder if we can hang things up to make them our own!" She exclaimed, flopping back on the bed with the biggest smile.

Yasmin looked over at Sidney and tilted her head to the side. "You must be Sidney Barnes, the second scholarship winner from Senoia, would you."

Amelia abruptly got up and rushed over to Sidney's bed sitting down on it with a wide grin. "How is it to be one of the winners who come from the same kingdom? It must be an honor since all eyes are on you and every move is being watched!" She asked, leaving no room to speak.

Sidney groan, covering her face up with her hands. "Please do not remind me. I am freaking out already." She spoke softly, keeping her face hidden so they couldn't see her.

Yasmin got up and walked over to the bed, sitting down beside Amelia. "I'm Yasmin Sersanto," She introduced herself, extending her hand politely.

Amelia then realized she hadn't introduced herself yet and facepalmed. "I'm Amelia Costly, it is nice to meet you, Sidney. I screamed when I won!" She squealed, clapping her hands together with a wide smile on her lips.

Yasmin sighed, laying back on her bed and rolling her eyes. "I can only imagine your poor family's hearing." She rolled on her stomach and looked at Amelia. 

Amelia opened up her back and pulling out a single plastic flower, bringing them up to her nose and taking a deep breath. "These smell good and are my favorite flowers ever! Reminds me of home!" She exclaimed, putting them in a vase and then putting them on her nightstand. 

Yasmin crossed her arms in front of her and shook her head. "It's not even real! So how can it smell?" She asked, kicking off her black ankle boots onto the floor. "It's plastic," She pointed out, resting her cheek in her hand.

Amelia looked over at her and sighed. "I sprayed perfume on it to smell like a rose. I am allergic to the pollen of the flowers so they have to be fake. I know the ones in the hall aren't fake, but as long as I take my allergy medicine and keep away from them, I am fine." She cheerfully explained, pushing up her glasses.

Yasmin rolled her eyes and turned to Sidney. "You have a sister? What is her name? How old is she?" She asked, nothing the picture on the brown-haired girl's nightstand.

Sidney sat up in her bed and gave a soft smile. "Her name is Missy and she's thirteen. She was adopted just like I was." She leaned over her bed and pulled out a picture of her family, setting it on her nightstand. 

Yasmin couldn't help but coo, lacing her fingers together and resting her hands on the side of her cheek as she tilted her head. "She sounds so adorable. I have a younger sister too. Her name is Viveca and she is two years younger than me." She figured both Missy and her sister would get along quite well or at least she hoped. 

Amelia rested her chin in her palms, kicking her feet around in the air. "I don't have any siblings. I am an only child, which is okay, my cousins make up for siblings since my auntie and uncle live with us."

Sidney smiled slightly at what she had said. "She sounds cute. What about your parents?" She was curious to know more about her, well, Amelia and her, yet Yasmin was the only one talking right now. 

Yasmin pursed her lips together as she laid back down on the bed, resting her hands on her stomach. "Oh, my father, Zane got laid off from work for a while, but he hopes to go back here soon. My younger sister, Daliah works with my mother, Tatika, and me in the tomato field we have had since my kingdom is farming." She replied, loving her farming life since it was all she knew.

Amelia nodded rapidly at what Yasmin said before talking about her family, giving no time for anyone else to say anything. "Oh, my dad, Murdock is a lawyer, and my mum, Sima, stays at home and works around the house." She said beaming brightly with a smile on her face. She did smile a lot, didn't she? "What about you Sidney?"

Sidney sighed, trying to pick her words carefully. "Well, my mama, Victoria, can't work since she is sick right now, and my papa, Cody, is disabled due to hurting his back, so, I work for my family." She replied in a soft voice feeling a bit embarrassed about her life.

Amelia frowned, placing her hand over her head at what Sidney had said. "Goodness, I am truly sorry to hear that. I can't imagine how that is to have the whole burden on yourself." She felt bad about going on with her perfect life.

Yasmin agreed with Amelia, it was such a sad thing to hear. She couldn't do that herself and gave props to her for that. "I am truly sorry Sidney. Is that why you entered? To have a better life for your family?"

Sidney sighed, crossing her arms. "I didn't enter. My best friend Molly, my boss, and my sister all entered me without my knowledge." She looked down at the floor as she spoke.

Yasmin exchanged an awkward glance with Amelia before looking back at Sidney. "Oh, see, I entered myself in and I think Amelia mentioned she did the same." She mentioned, rolling on her stomach and waving her feet in the air.

Amelia jumped up and down on her bed in a sitting postion. "Oh, oh, I heard the headmaster is a real hoot. He is always having to be put in line by the headmistress. I want a guy like that. Someone who can make me laugh at bad times."

Sidney laughed softly, feeling happier as time went on. "Missy said the headmaster is much like a child and without the headmistress, he would lose his head. She may or may not have a tiny crush on him, aalthough she may never admit it." She admitted with a smile.

Amelia nodded, twisting the hair hanging down beside her face around her finger. "Hey, Sidney, have you met anyone else while we were coming here? We only met the headmistress and were brought straight here."

Sidney nodded with a sigh. "I met the other scholarship winner from Senoia, Witty, then Duchess Thea, her Royal Lady Mia, and another girl who I don't know the name of. However, let's just say those girls - it didn't go very well." It was true, it didn't go the best as she had hoped. 

Yasmin cringed a little, imagining how that could have gone. "Goodness, I am truly sorry Sidney it had gone sour with those girls. At least the other scholarship winner - what was his name - Witty was nice right?"

Sidney sat up and nodded to what she had asked about Witty. "He is nice, one of the nicest people here probably. Can't say the same for the others I've met." Her voice held disgust at what he had told her. 

"We won't have to struggle to match their etiquette at least so that is good! I could never sip tea without my pinky out. Not that I practiced, it is just something I subconsciously do. I do it with water bottles too, really any cup." Amelia giggled recalling that memory.

Yasmin couldn't help but smile at how enthusiastic this girl was even when speaking about something so trivial. "I tried to practice on the way here on the plane, let's just say I broke it and my pinky won't stick straight out." She admitted sheepishly. 

Sidney let out a short laugh. "I used to play that with my sister before I got a full-time job. We talked with this horrible fake accent and laughed our heads off trying to be prim and proper."

Yasmin cracked a smile when she heard Sidney's little story, it was really cute. "That sounds nice. I am sure that she would love to do it again with you when you become a noble!" She exclaimed in a sing-song voice smiling a bit cheekily like what Amelia normally did at times like this. 

Sidney nodded, letting out a long sigh, letting her words marinate per se inside her head. "You're perhaps right. We could have a real tea party and invite nobles from the kingdom to attend, I'm sure Missy would love that."

Yasmin stood up and began to put stuff away in her drawers. "I am curious to know how this year will play out. Back home the school I go to isn't even in a building but under an open overhang with chairs and tables. It is nice though, the warm sun and sometimes there is a gentle breeze."

Sidney tried to picture that, but it was hard when she didn't know exactly what her home looked like. "It is a chance for you huh?" She asked and Yasmin nodded to confirm what she had said. "What about you?" She turned to Amelia. "What is your school like back home?"

"Oh, I was homeschooled. It was mainly myself and my cousins. y auntie taught us since she uses to be a teacher." Amelia explained pulling out a picture of her family in front of a quaint little white house. "That is my family." She said pointing to the happy family standing together.

"You all look very happy." Sidney smiled, her eyes lingering on the picture. "I am sure you will miss them huh? I am already missing my family." She admitted. It was no secret, everyone felt homesick, and being at a boarding academy, it was normal to feel that way. 

Yasmin was curious to know about Sidney's school and asked. "What about you? What is your school like? Is it like one of those massive schools you see on TV? That has like 3000 kids attending each school year or maybe more?"

Sidney had no clue what to say so she shook her head. "Senoia's high school is average size. We have three: a non-denominational religious school, a private school, and a public school, the one I use to go too." She replied, which was the truth.

Amelia tried to imagine it, her face showed how concentrated she was on picturing it. "Ooh, that is so cool! I envy big kingdom's like this. This is my first time in a school setting and I am thrilled to experience all this has to offer and maybe I will graduate with a noble title!" She squealed, clapping her hands together.

Yasmin couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "If we graduate. It won't be a piece of cake. The headmistress said very few make it to the end because of peer pressure. Let's prove them wrong and show them we are  just as worthy to be here as they are." She vowed with determination in her eyes.

〰❦〰❦〰❦〰❦〰❦〰❦〰

A/N:
Sorry it is a bit late, I have been extremely busy. Don't worry, I will be getting more chapters up next year along with my other books. I will focus on getting each chapter done in a day just do make sure I get an normal update schedule. Idk if I will be able to but I will do my best and try!

Chapter Talk:
So we meet Sidney's roommates and the two other winners on the female side, and they seem to be quite the characters. You will be seeing a lot of them and the male scholarship winners as well in the upcoming chapters. Of course they all will be at a table together, but that doesn't mean they won't make friends with other royals and nobles that want to break the setting rules.

I had this and the three? next chapters all part of the same chapter along with the last previous chapters. It wasn't divided at all, and I don't think I even used a bracket to separate it. All I did was give a quick synopsis before moving onto another part in the second chapter. Since now I am driving most of the chapters into their own so that will be making a whole bunch more!

Thanks for reading!